Treasury has determined that volunteer emergency responders do not count toward ACA

The Treasury Department has announced that hours of bona-fide volunteers and volunteer emergency responders (e.g., us) do not count toward an employer's count of full-time employees or full-time equivalent (FTE) hours. The Affordable Care Act (ACA, i.e. "ObamaCare") requires all employers with more than 50 FTE employees to provide health benefits or pay penalties. The Treasury Department decision should ensure that small organizations (like the LCSO) will not be penalized for making use of community volunteers, whichever way the wider issue of the ACA goes.